Jim Fischer, a 52-year-old Republican businessman who intends to challenge U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko for his seat in the 20th Congressional District this November. Fischer has already received the endorsement of Saratoga and Albany County Republican committees. less

Jim Fischer, a 52-year-old Republican businessman who intends to challenge U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko for his seat in the 20th Congressional District this November. Fischer has already received the endorsement of ... more

In a race for Congress against a three-term incumbent whose political resume covers three decades, it's a question the 52-year-old Ballston businessman is likely to field often as November approaches. The short answer is that he's a Republican with an economics degree, three children and an idea or two about how to fix Washington — plus a question of his own that he'd like voters to consider.

"Who is Paul Tonko? ... I think that one is at least as important as the first one," Fischer said in a recent interview.

Fischer's campaign strategy includes tying every negative label he can to the Democrat, including casting him as a co-conspirator in congressional gridlock.

"I've become as frustrated as most people in the country, and people I've talked with around the area, about the direction that our country is going in," he said. "I feel that it is the wrong direction. Just the frustration that our government and our politicians aren't serving us and aren't serving us well."

This isn't the first time Fischer has been a part of an upstart campaign. In 2010, he helped with Republican Rep. Chris Gibson's winning first run for Congress. In 2012, he helped out on Robert Dieterich's less successful campaign against Tonko.

Fischer now faces a tall task. Tonko is well-known in the Capital Region and his margin of victory has never been less than 39,000 votes. Current voter enrollment in the district favors the Democrat by nearly 73,000.

Fischer doesn't appear to be fazed. He engages in friendly conversation with potential constituents and easily switches from one talking point to the next when addressing larger crowds.

But he says that building name recognition has been a struggle. According to his June 30 campaign finance filing, Fischer had a mere $21,980 on hand.

"Everybody knows Paul Tonko," Fischer said. "When you ask people, 'What can you tell me about Paul Tonko?' The answer is, 'He's everywhere and he's a nice guy — he remembers my name.' I don't take any of that away from him.

But ... when you then follow up and say, 'Can you tell me something that Paul Tonko has accomplished? or 'Can you tell me something he has done for you?' it's silence," he said.

The loudest dustup between the two candidates to date occurred earlier this summer, when Fischer called out Tonko for not protesting the possibility that Kenwood Academy could be used as a temporary federal housing facility for young immigrant refugees. He said that could add strain on taxpayers and bring infectious diseases to the region. A Tonko spokesman said that Fischer was trying to politicize a humanitarian crisis.

Fischer says he'll be an independent voice in Congress and focuses on the economy. He said the economy is growing too slowly (the growth rate should be 4 or 5 percent, not 2 percent, he said) and he has formulated a plan he calls THRIVE — for tax reform, health care reform, regulatory reform, infrastructure, vision and energy independence — that he said would help the economy take off. Fischer also has been vocal about what he says are problems with Common Core and the Affordable Care Act, voicing strong opposition to the education standards and advocating for a retooled health care system that would allow shopping across state lines and let individuals deduct health care premiums from their taxes, among other changes.

No polls have been released in the race, but Fischer said he feels momentum building.

"I have people telling me, 'Yeah, Paul's a nice guy, but it is time for a change. We need to mix things up down in Washington. We need some fresh perspective,'" he said. "I'm seeing Independents, Democrats, unaffiliated voters nodding their heads and saying, 'Yes, I like what I hear.'"